Last year, Kitsap Public Utility District took advantage of Washington State Department of Health’s free-PFAS sample program for Group A community water systems. This program provided KPUD the opportunity to test all 60 sources of our 28 KPUD-owned Group A water systems at no cost to the utility. Testing is now complete, and the results showed no detection of PFAS in these KPUD water systems.
These results count toward state-required compliance monitoring scheduled for 2023-2025. Water samples were tested for 25 different per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) compounds including six specific compounds (perfluorooctanoic acid [PFOA], perfluorooctane sulfonic acid [PFOS], perfluorononanoic acid [PFNA], hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid [HFPO-DA, commonly known as GenX Chemicals], perfluorohexane sulfonic acid [PFHxS], and perfluorobutane sulfonic acid [PFBS]) that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to regulate.
On Tuesday, the EPA announced proposed drinking water regulations to establish legally enforceable levels of PFAS in addition to health-based, non-enforceable levels for the six PFAS compounds listed above. EPA anticipates finalizing the regulation by the end of 2023. Until these regulations are finalized, PFAS remains unregulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The EPA will also be holding a public hearing on May 4, 2023, where members of the public can register to attend and provide verbal comments to the EPA on the rule proposal. Registration is required to attend and the last day to register to speak at the hearing is April 28, 2023. For questions related to the public hearing, email PFASNPDWR@epa.gov.
KPUD’s drinking water remains safe and protected from contaminants. We closely monitor drinking water regulations to ensure that we take actions necessary to protect our customers from the health risks of these chemicals. Per Washington State Department of Health requirements, KPUD will conduct PFAS sampling again spanning the three-year period 2026 – 2028.
KPUD owns 28 Group A water systems and manages an additional 15. Managed water systems are tested regularly, and results are provided to system owners. Group B water systems (less than 15 connections) are not required to be tested for PFAS. For additional information and resources please visit our PFAS webpage.